Expect Donald Sterling to fight ban from NBA

The day went perfectly Tuesday, from NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s bold declaration of punishment handed down to Donald Sterling to the unified scene inside Staples Center that night for the Los Angeles Clippers’ playoff victory.

But still roiling under the peaceful scene was the queasy feeling that the perfect script had one major flaw: Sterling might not play along.

Silver issued a lifetime ban on the Clippers’ embattled owner, tacked on a $2.5 million fine, and said he would urge the NBA Board of Governors to force a sale of the team. A vote of three-quarters of the league’s 30 owners is required to force a sale, and one person familiar with Silver’s intentions said the commissioner wasn’t going into this blind, certain he would get the required votes — and likely every vote except Sterling’s.

But if Silver’s strong stance impressed the players who were plotting a boycott, the fans who united behind the team and against the owner, and even the other owners who fell neatly in line, the effort wasn’t quite done. It was fine for public relations and strong enough to stop sponsors from continuing to bail on the league, but Silver still might not have enough to back up his harsh words.

While Silver was addressing the media at the New York Hilton on Tuesday with players tuning in around the nation, Sterling was mostly silent. But Fox News reporter Jim Gray spoke to him and said, “He is unaware of what’s going to happen to him. He has not been notified [of the punishment by Silver]. He also said he didn’t want to comment on the record, but the team is not for sale and he will not be selling the team.”

And with that, the standoff begins.

It certainly can’t be a surprise to Silver, an attorney who is well aware Sterling has never gone down without a legal fight — settling out of court twice in racial discrimination suits stemming from his real-estate holdings and efforts to not rent to African-American or Hispanic families (settlements that cost him more than $7 million, but left him free to claim his innocence and collect one lifetime achievement award from the NAACP). A second one scheduled to be given in the coming days was withdrawn.

He beat similar charges brought by NBA legend Elgin Baylor, who served in Sterling’s front office with the Clippers for more than 20 years.

Silver said those prior lawsuits — and the court documents with the troubling language contained within — did not factor into his punishment. But it certainly laid a groundwork for Sterling’s dogged ability to battle in court. And at 80 years old with an estimated worth of $1.9 billion, he could be up for the fight. Even with a ban keeping him away from the team, retaining ownership would provide a significant financial gain for his heirs — estimated at as much as $200 million in savings due to tax laws.

Silver was very specific in pointing out that the punishment is only for Sterling, not his wife or children. And Sterling’s estranged wife, Rochelle, has expressed interest in retaining ownership of the team.

If the NBA can succeed in forcing a sale, there seems to be no shortage of potential bidders. While estimates of the franchise’s value have varied widely, from a Forbes estimate of just over $500 million to some conjecture that it could net over $1 billion, Sterling may be able to use the NBA’s ruling as a legal maneuver, contending that the league is devaluing the franchise and harming his ability to maximize a sale.

At his news conference Tuesday, Silver spoke glowingly of Magic Johnson, the NBA Hall of Famer who briefly was a part owner of the Lakers and now has purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers along with his partners - a deal coming at a whopping $2.15 billion. While Johnson, who was at the center of the racially charged statements by Sterling that were recorded by Sterling’s 31-year-old girlfriend, is a perfect match, he won’t be alone if he tries to purchase the team.

According to a Bloomberg News report, music mogul David Geffen, with a net worth of $5.7 billion, is interested. According to an Oprah Winfrey spokesperson, Winfrey, Geffen and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison are discussing a joint bid.

“Larry and I have been talking about buying a team for years,” Geffen told Bloomberg Sports.

An Associated Press report said to add Matt Damon and Oscar De La Hoya to the list of interested parties, which also includes Sean Combs, who tweeted, “I will always be a Knicks fan, but I am a businessman. #DiddyBuyTheClippers #NameYourPrice.”

While the Clippers may not be the Knicks or Lakers — longtime leaders in the league at least in attendance and income — the ability to purchase a team in one of the major markets is certain to foster interest. Even the Milwaukee Bucks were sold for $550 million last month in a sale that had numerous bidders. And after decades of almost comically bad teams, the Clippers are on the verge of heading into the Western Conference semifinals, holding a 3-2 advantage over the Golden State Warriors.